Protective garment



June 23, 1% R. MATHIAS PROTECTIVE GARMENT Fi'led Jan. 19, 1935 2 snags-sheet 1 INVENTOR gbgm 12mm,

TTORNEY- June 23, 1936 R. MATHIAS I PROTECTIVE GARMENT I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 19, 1955 lNVENTOR Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROTECTIVE GARMENT Robert Mathias, Ampere, N. J. Application January 19, 1935, Serial No.- 2,508

2 Claims.

This invention relates, generally, to garments,

objectionable to workmen and as a result are not,

worn as much as they should be for the workmens safety. Some of the objectionable features of these protective garments as heretofore made are that they are cumbersome in use and greatly retard ones movements, that most of these garments fit the users poorly and if a garment is;

made to fit an individual workman :it will not fit others satisfactorily, that these garments are generally hot to wear, especially in warm weather, and that they ofttimes do .not' properly protect the shouldersand upper part of the t'orso.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel protective garment that overcomes the above recited objections and which is popular with workmen, the said garment being readily put on and comfortably Worn in use, the same beingadapted to fit various persons with equal comfort and convenience and offering a minimum impedance to bodily movements.

Another object of the present invention lies-in the provision of a novel protective garment of the above character which consists essentially of similar right and left hand garment halves, each of said halves comprising a sleeve portion, an integrally formed shoulder portion. projecting from the upper end of the sleeve portion, and back and chest portions that diverge or extend obliquely with respect to one another from the shoulder portion and are provided withadjustable fastening means for connecting the same to the corresponding portion .of the other gar ment half. 1

Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation showing the novel protective garment of this invention as Worn by a worker.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the garment of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in frontelevation showing the right and left hand garment halves prior to their attachmentto one another.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction. of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1. of a somewhat modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation showing the right and left hand garment halves of Fig. 5 prior to their attachment to one another upon the body of the wearer, and

Fig. '7 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along line 1---! of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

' Similar characters of reference are employed in said views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4 of the said drawi-ngs, the reference numeral l designates the novel protective garment as a whole, which garment consists essentially of a right hand half or part 2 and a similar left hand half or part 3 which halves or parts are arranged to be adjustably connected together. The garment I is made of suitable flexible material such as rubber orrubberized fabric. Rubber is not only waterproof and acid-proof but also serves as an electrical insulating medium and is therefore especially useful for protecting workmen such as linesmen against electrical shocks. Other materials .suchas asbestos compositions and lacquered fabrics may be used in making up the protective garment and are especially useful when thegarment is employed in connection with: certain lines of work.

Each of the garment halves or parts 2 and 3 comprises a sleeve portion 4 adapted. to extend from the wearers wrist to his shoulder, a shoulder portion 5 formed integrally with the upper part of the sleeve portion 4, which shoulder portion is so shaped or molded as to conform to and. curve or extend over the shoulder of the wearer in' protecting relation, and back and chest portions 6 and 1, respectively. The back portion 6 is formed integrally with the inner rear part of the shoulder portion 5 and is inclined upward- 1y with respect to the shoulder portion, whereas the chest portion 1 is formed integrally with theinner front part of the shoulder portion 5 and is inclined downwardly with respect to the shoulder portion. Thus, as viewed in elevation, the back and chest portions 6 and 1 (see Fig. 3) of the garment make an acute angle with one another.

The back and chest portions 6 and 1 of one garment half are of such length as to overlap the back and chest portions 6 and l of the other garment half when the garment is being worn as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The inner end sections of the back and chest portions 6 and 1 are provided with a plurality of mutually spaced apertures E: which are disposed substantially along the center lines of these portions 6 and 1. The aperture 9 are adapted to receive headed fastening studs or pins H), of hard rubber or other suitable material which studs serve to interconnect the back and chest portions of the garment halves in use. The outer heads H of fastening studs ID are preferably smaller in diameter than the inner heads i2 and are also preferably rounded, beveled or pointed slightly to facilitate the passing of these outer heads through the apertures 9.

In use, the wearer telescopes the right and left hand garment halves over his right and left arms respectively, thereby bringing the shoulder portions 5 into overlying and protecting relation with respect to his shoulders. He then pulls the two back portions 6 toward each other into overlapping relation, and with the shoulder portions 5 fitting snugly upon his shoulders, he inserts a fastening stud to through those two apertures 9 of the overlapping back portions 6 which most nearly coincide. He then pulls the two chest portions '1 toward each other into overlapping relation and inserts the other fastening stud ill, through those two apertures 9 of the chest portions which most nearly coincide. Thus, the garment automatically adapts itself to the body width of the wearer, and fits him snugly and properly regardless of his size, thereby enabling the same garment to be used conveniently by different workers.

The garment allows the wearer free and unimpeded use of his arms and neck as well as the rest of his body. Owing to the downward inclination of the chest portions 1, a V-shaped opening is provided in front of the wearers neck thereby allowing ample room for neck movements. Also, these downwardly and inwardly inclined chest portions 8, being fastened together at the center of the chest, serve to hold the upper part of the shoulder portions 5 down snugly upon the wearers shoulders, thereby preventing the garment from becoming loose or baggy above the shoulders, while at the same time these chest portions hold the garment well up on the shoulders and prevent sagging of the same. The upwardly and inwardly inclined back portions 6, being fastened together at the center of the back, serve to pull upwardly and inwardly upon the shoulder portions, thereby preventing the sleeve portions 4 from drooping or becoming flabby under the arm pits, and also aiding the chest portions l in holding the shoulder portions 5 up on the wearers shoulders. In other words, the chest and back portions 1 and 6 serve as diagonal ties for holding the shoulder and sleeve portions of the garment firmly and permanently in place on the body of the wearer, as well as affording protection for the upper part of the chest and back. It will be apparent that either or both the chest and back portions could be made wider, if desired, thereby covering and protecting a correspondingly larger part of the body.

In Figs. 5' to '7, a somewhat modified form of protective garment is illustrated, wherein the shoulder portions 5 are not initially formed or molded to fit the wearers shoulders, but extend directly upwardly (see Fig. 6) as continuations of the sleeve portions 4 and are provided with back and chest portions 5 and l, respectively. When the garment is put on, the shoulder portions 5 readily fold over and conform to the shape of the wearers shoulders as shown in Fig. 5. The back and chest portions 6 and l are initially so disposed with respect to the shoulder portions 5' that when the garment is worn, the back portion 6' extend upwardly and inwardly, whereas the chest portions I extend downwardly and inwardly, thereby providing for the snug retention of the garment in proper position upon the wearer just as in the case of the form of the invention first described.

The chest portions 1 are shown as being somewhat wider than the chest portions 1 of the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, thereby correspondingly covering a larger portion of the wearers chest. Likewise, the back portions 6 may be made wider, if desired, to suit the requirements of any particular use, but it is essential that the inclined character of these back and chest portions be retained to secure permanent and perfect fitting in use. The back and chest portions 6 and I are also provided with a plurality of apertures 9 for receiving the fastening studs l0, and for enabling the garment to be adjusted to the torso dimensions of any particular wearer.

Both forms of the protective garment provide for easy body movements of the wearers thereof. Owing to the cut out or open nature of the garment at the arm pits, almost no resistance is offered to raising the arms aside from the relatively slight weight of the sleeve portions 4 and 4'. Although the outer exposed portions of the body are covered by the protective garment, i. e. the arms, shoulders, and upper torso, yet the inner portions of the body are uncovered, thereby preventing undue overheating of the body while at the same time lightening the weight of the garment.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, as defined by the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim;

1. A protective garment for workers comprising, similar right hand and left hand garment halves of a material having high electrical resistance, said garment halves having sleeve portions for covering the arms of the wearer, shoulder portions for covering the shoulders of the :1

wearer substantially to the neck, and relatively narrow strap-like back and chest portions extending from said shoulder portions, said back portions extending inwardly and upwardly with respect to said shoulder portions and into adnarrow strap-like back and chest portions formed 75 integrally with said shoulder portions and extending therefrom, said back portions extending inwardly and upwardly from the rear of said shoulder portions and into overlapping relation at a point substantially level with the wearers shoulders, said chest portions extending inwardly and downwardly with respect to said shoulder portions and into overlapping relation and covering the chest of the wearer from adjacent the neck substantially to the arm pits, each of the overlapping parts of said back and chest portions having a plurality of mutually spaced apertures therein, and fastening studs for insertion through said apertures to adjustably secure said back portions together and said chest portions together.

ROBERT MATHIAS. 

